Ski Industry Shockers
It’s only August, and already, skiing has been in the spotlight for some major industry shake-ups in. Here’s a round up of some of the more recent- and noteworthy- ski industry shockers to make headlines.
Vail Resorts Buys Whistler Blackcomb
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few days, ski-industry giant Vail Resorts announced its acquisition of Whistler Blackcomb, outside of Vancouver, Canada. The deal is worth over $1 billion, and will add another noteworthy selection to the corporation’s growing fleet of ski resorts around the world. Vail Resorts previously made headlines when it bought Utah’s Park City- much to the dismay of locals– before merging it with nearby Canyons Resort, making it the United States’ largest ski area. Whistler Blackcomb is the largest ski resort in North America, and along with a reputation for some exceptional North American skiing and snowboarding, the resort has an established and revered mountain biking scene that attracts visitors from all over the world during the summer months, too.
Echo Mountain is Reborn
The Denver area will be happy to hear that nearby ski hill, Echo Mountain, is keeping up hopes to stay afloat after filing for bankruptcy in February. The resort’s sale to 27-year-old Peter Burwell, son of an Aspen area hotel owner and philanthropist who passed away last year, is under contract, and would need to be approved by bankruptcy court before being finalized. The sale would include 226 acres and all of the resort’s equipment.
Mountain Collective Building an Arsenal
As Vail Resorts has been making headlines for its recent purchase of Canadian behemoth Whistler Blackcomb, ski-industry rival Mountain Collective, announced its plans to add Telluride and Revelstoke as new ski destinations covered by the pass. A counterpoint to the corporate conglomerate Vail Resorts, the Mountain Collective pass is largely spearheaded by Aspen Skiing Co., and organizes a medley of smaller, independently-owned resorts on a single pass that offers discounted days in a united front against Vail Resorts. Currently, ski passes at Vail Resorts account for half of all season passes sold in the US.
